Woodbury Mayor Ann Burt presented a proclamation to Woodbury American Legion Post 501 Commander, Tom Grezek and Woodbury Veterans of Foreign War Post 9024 Paul Lindahl recognizing May 24, 2019 as National Poppy Day in Woodbury.
The American Legion has long utilized the red poppy as its official flower, symbolizing the bloodshed by those who have served in our U.S. military. National Poppy Day honors every service member who has worn our nation’s uniform and also those service members who have died in the name of liberty, freedom and democracy.
At the end of World War I, The American Legion adopted the poppy as a symbol of freedom and the blood sacrificed by troops in wartimes. The symbolic use of the poppy comes from the poem In Flanders Fields, which movingly begins, “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row,” referring to the poppies that sprang up in the churned-up earth of newly dug soldiers’ graves over parts of Belgium and France.
The Woodbury American Legion Post 501 will host its annual Poppy Days April 26-28. Poppies will be distributed by Post 501 veterans and Woodbury Junior Air Force Reserve Officer Training Candidates (JAFROTC) at Woodbury businesses including Sam’s Club, Walmart, Total Wine, Jerry’s, Valley Creek Mall, and Cub Foods from 9am to 4pm on those dates. The Post requests that persons receiving a flower make a donation to support veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families with medical and financial needs as well as to support local scholarships and Woodbury charities that promote veterans care.
Stop by and get a poppy from American Legion Post 501 April 26-28 and wear it to honor those who have worn our nation's uniform.
-WOODBURY AMERICAN LEGION POST 501-
